Taliban warn of more attacks

The Taliban vowed to intensify their attacks on American and coalition forces in Afghanistan, a day after a car bomb ripped through the offices of a US security company in Kabul, killing 10 people.

The atrocity sparked a chain of security alerts in the capital, where the Taliban promised fresh violence in the run-up to a landmark presidential election scheduled for October 9.

The US embassy emailed its citizens warning them to keep a low profile, the UN advised its staff to stay off the streets, and aid workers were ordered to avoid establishments selling alcohol.

Lieutenant Commander Ken Mackillop, a spokesman for the Nato-led force in the country, confirmed that three Americans were among the victims of Sunday's attack. However, there was confusion about the nationalities of the other victims, three of whom were reported to be Nepalese.

The remotely-triggered car bomb blew up the city offices of Dyncorp, which provides bodyguards for the interim president, Hamid Karzai, and had been training the Afghan police force.

It was the worst atrocity in Kabul since 30 people died and 150 were injured in a September 2002 car bomb attack.

Claiming responsibility yesterday, two Taliban spokesmen warned of further attacks.

"We have started our operations from Kabul under new planning and preparation," Mullah Daudullah, a fugitive member of the 10-man Taliban council, told the Reuters news agency by telephone. "We will carry out more attacks and bombings."

Another spokesman, Mullah Hakin Latifi, warned Afghans to stay away from election centres and US and coalition workplaces. "They are our priority targets," he told the Associated Press news agency.

More than 10 million Afghans have registered to vote in the October poll, which is supposed to mark the pivotal point between 27 years of war and a return to democratic rule. The US-backed Mr Karzai is the favourite to win in a field of 18 candidates.

However the advent of democracy has also coincided with increased bloodshed in Afghanistan, where more than 1,000 people have died in the past year.

Some aid agencies plan to evacuate their international staff for the duration of the election, which is expected to last at least three weeks.

Sunday's bombing caused some groups to revise their security precautions. Paul Barker of Care said the aid agency's staff had been prohibited from frequenting restaurants that served alcohol "for a few days, if not longer".

Additionally, all employees were now searched on their way into work, Mr Barker said. "They [Taliban insurgents] could threaten the family of a staff member unless they bring a bomb to work. You never know."